Fuel driven vehicles to be phased out

Car manufacturers will start reducing the production of fuel driven vehicles starting from 2030 in fulfillment of the Katowice partnership for e-mobility, a zero emission vehicle initiative aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change.

The ambitious Katowice partnership for e-mobility is one of the key declarations made at the just ended COP24 meeting seeking to deal with greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector.

Director in the climate change department Mr Washington Zhakata said the initiative will see incentives being provided for zero emission vehicles, research and development and delivering greener public transport to improve public health among other things.

The announcement by various developed countries who are the major manufacturers of vehicles of their desire to go the e-mobility route is expected to put Zimbabwe on high alert to provide steel and lithium, both of which are abundant in the country, required for the manufacturing of electric vehicles.

At the same meeting, the World Bank pledged $200 billion in climate action funding for the period between 2021 and 2025 for access by developing countries, one of the clearest indications to date that developed countries are reluctant to honour their part in the Paris Agreement.

Zimbabwe is wary of the fact that the outcomes of the negotiations at the Katowice meeting will result in less financial flows in the form of grants for climate change adaptation and mitigation channelled to developing countries, as developed countries press for the loans option rather than grants.

Zimbabwe requires $90 billion to meet all its commitments for climate change adaptation and mitigation by 2030, including honouring its agreement to achieve a 33 percent reduction in emissions.-zbc